


Powers of Observation

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 09:51:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: In the aftermath of a mission, successful but with each of them having paid a price, Actor is in a position to sit back and simply observe, and comes to a stunning conclusion.  He had always prided himself on being a keen observer.  Well, it was required in his line of work, of course.  Now he watches, and as he watches, he comes to the conclusion that sometimes truth is elusive, shielding itself from even the closest of observers.  Sometimes, however, it's right in front of you;  all you have to do is open your eyes and be willing to believe.





	Powers of Observation

It had been one hell of a mission, the plan falling apart even before their chutes hit the ground. Their contact never showed, though whether he'd been discovered, changed his mind, had been running a con all along or what, they never knew; he'd been paid in advance for his services, and yeah, even Garrison thought HQ had to be out of their everloving minds for agreeing to that, especially with someone they'd never worked with before!

So, instead of being guided to a safe house, being given the information the contact had supposedly been gathering for the past several weeks, they were on the ground in hostile territory with zip, nada in the way of support or decent intel.

The suggestion by Casino that they haul ass outta there before they got theirs shot off, well, that was totally ignored by Garrison, of course. Well, none of the team really expected him to go along with that; wasn't his style.

"Don't know why you even bothered, Casino. You know 'im; 'e makes up 'is mind to do something, 'e ruddy well does it!" Goniff groused at the grumbling safecracker as they trudged along.

"Yeah, well, figured maybe our luck'd change for once."

"Not likely. He is a very determined man, our Lieutenant," Actor declared solemnly.

"Yeah, well he's gonna end up a very dead man if he's not careful, and us right along with him."

That was a unusually long speech, at least coming from Chief; usually he just accepted whatever Garrison decided to do, but he'd had a bad feeling about this one from the start. And as usual with Chief's hunches, he'd been right on target.

**  
Losing his grip once again, seeing Garrison getting slammed against the floorboards and side rails one more time, Goniff gave an impatient frustrated growl, "that aint 'elping 'im any," to get a snapped reply from Actor, "yes, well, do you have any better ideas?"

The two men were having a rough time keeping from being tossed around themselves, even though they were only slightly injured, and equally unable to keep hold of an unconscious Garrison. There just wasn't a good way to brace yourself back there, much less someone else along with you, not as fast as the truck was going over the rough terrain, and with the enemy not all that far behind, and the exit window rapidly dwindling away, they could hardly slow down.

The small man looked around at their tight quarters, blinking rapidly, thinking, then, "yeah. 'Ere, move 'im outta the way a bit," and when Actor did so (Chief and Casino in the front - Chief driving, Casino riding shotgun, literally), wondering what on earth the little thief was planning, Goniff manoeuvred himself into the tight corner, bracing his back against the cab, his bent knees against the side. It wasn't an easy process, and looked to be a more than somewhat painful one as he had to force himself past metal pieces with no give to them, but he was finally squeezed in tightly, though rather in the form of a misshapen pretzel.

Wriggling to be sure he was secure, he nodded firmly, "now, give 'im 'ere," and a hesitant Actor did so, cautioning, "you are going to have to bear the brunt of both your weights on every bump and turn. How long are you going to be able to stand that? It could be a lengthy trip and that space certainly isn't big enough for me to relieve you. I'm not sure you'll even be able to get out, without considerable assistance," purposefully not even mentioning what would be his sure fate if the truck were to crash! He'd be trapped, crushed, and Actor shivered at the thought.

The truck had been juryrigged many times over its lifetime, or so it would appear. The space in the corners and to the rear of the cab was filled with metal protrusions, possibly tie-downs or braces for carrying tall flat loads; the sides studded with big iron eyebolts every few inches. Actor could tell those metal pieces were bearing into the man's body, would even more with every jolt.

There was no immediate answer and Actor raised his eyes to see a grim look on that wide mouth and steely determination in those pale blue ones. "I'll stand it as long as I 'ave to. 'Ere, shift 'im a little to the right, let me get a better grip," and together they moved the taller blond to where most of his weight was supported by the slender pickpocket's body, his upper body held firmly in place by those wiry arms. Actor waited to be sure Goniff was going to be able to keep a grip even with the bouncing the truck was putting them through, and when it seemed he would, focused in getting himself braced along the other side against the ever shifting motion of the truck.

It wasn't that he'd dozed; certainly that wasn't a possibility. But the noise of the ancient truck engine, last overhauled maybe never, along with the rattle and bang of the metal and wood making up the cobbled-together frame of the enclosed rear created a cacophony that drowned out any slighter sound. So it was only when he again glanced over to see how Goniff was holding out did he notice Garrison was conscious, well, at least partly so.

Actor started to raise his voice, ask how they were doing when he hesitated. He would have to shout, of course; the noise level was painfully loud, and he would have had to guess at the reply, except that he read lips, quite well in fact. That came in handy far more than you might think in running a con, although he didn't usually use it with his team mates other than on a job.

Still, there was something, he wasn't sure what, something not just as he was expecting it to be, something he hesitated to intrude upon. Certainly Goniff hadn't shifted positions; there was no way he really could have. Actor winced inside in sympathy; the small man must be a mass of bruises by now, the way the truck's movement was forcing him back into those metal pieces. What had he seen, what was different? He couldn't quite . . . 

Then he saw; it wasn't so much the position of the bodies, but the way Goniff's head was tilted down, the quiet half-smile on his face. Not the usual Mr. Mischief smile, nor even the Mother Hen smile of comfort; this was a reassuring smile, yes, but one that was strangely intimate, almost sensual. And Garrison, his face was relaxed, secure, looking at Goniff as if he was placing his entire trust, perhaps his entire being into the talented hands of their resident pickpocket, and clearly content to be doing so. For once it was obvious Garrison was the younger of the two. And, for once, there was an air of calm self-assurance about the wiry Cockney that Actor realized he'd never seen so openly displayed before.

None of that made any sense, especially not those bits and pieces of words he thought he read from their Lieutenant's dry lips, ". . . . bigger bed, one that doesn't rock so much, and isn't as noisy. Where . . . . get one with rockers and sound effects anyway?"

That little laugh that Actor couldn't hear, but could see pass the Englishman's lips was one of gentle amusement, those blue eyes full of warmth, of indulgence. "Don't think 'Gaida would go . . . . . rockers, Craig. We'll . . . . . . . back to . . . when we get 'ome, . . . . , nice soft mattress. Says she's . . . . bigger one . . . so. . . . more comfortable. Stuck . . . . for awhile though, so just lay . . . , lean on me. I won't let you fall."

Garrison nodded and with just a glimmer of a smile, sighed, obviously having no doubt of that, and closed his eyes again, Goniff smiling down at him, showing far more than he'd have intended to with anyone watching, then thankfully closing his own eyes as well, without looking over at their stunned team mate.

{"I've never seen Craig give over lead to anyone like that before, not even me, like it's the totally natural thing to do, like he was even GLAD of it. And . . . 'Craig'? Since when does Goniff call him Craig? I do, but I have almost from the start. The others don't, certainly not Goniff!"}

Now Actor looked at the two huddled in the corner, and he wondered at just how blind he'd been not to have seen this earlier. {"Dear Lord, do they realize how dangerous this is??! Craig's an OFFICER! If HQ ever finds out . . ."}

But then he remembered, the gossip had hinted at this, well, something far more encompassing really, involving the whole team, almost from the start, and they'd managed well enough by ignored some of the talk, the actions, used their fists when necessary when ignoring wasn't sufficient. Meghada had helped stymie some of it, too, though shifting some of the gossip over to herself. 

Actor shook his head, still in disbelief. He knew Goniff was having an affair with the redheaded contract agent. Was it possible that she accepted this second involvement? Yet, she had to, considering the mention of the Cottage. He knew from the stories, the casual mentioning by her and her family that Pairings, for lack of a better word, were just as often between three as much as between two, and that her next-oldest brother Patrick was paired with his beloved James from early on, moving to include Reagana, a female cousin, some time later. So, it was entirely possible she accepted this. 

As he sat, occasionally taking another look at the two in the corner, Goniff braced, holding Craig so carefully, he had to wonder at the seeming turnabout in their usual roles, protector and protected. Then, the ironic, even amusing side of the whole thing struck him. Craig Garrison, West Point graduate, officer, holder to the straight and narrow (well, maybe less so since he'd started leading the team) - never known for any romantic involvements since he'd started with the team - now involved with their little Cockney pickpocket, the one they all teased about being somewhat less than worldly, rather naive even.

He shook his head; there'd been absolutely nothing naive about that calm, reassuring smile, the look in their Cockney's eyes, and as far as the look on Garrison's face . . . {"Talk about coming of age!!"}

He wondered for a moment if the two in the cab of the truck had any idea, but then brushed the notion aside. Chief just might accept the idea calmly; after all, he'd been the first to see and acknowledge Goniff and Meghada's relationship, hadn't turned a hair. Casino? Actor snorted in anticipation of HIS reaction! Casino was still halfway in shock over Meghada; THIS, well, this would probably give him a heart attack. 

The truck ground to a halt, and Goniff's eyes jerked open. "Actor?"

"Looks like we're there," rolling over to cast a wary eye through the rear canvas. Then the canvas was pushed aside and Chief and Casino clambered in.

"How is he?" Chief asked, looking at the pair in the corner.

"Think 'e's gonna be alright once we get 'im back 'ome. 'Ow do we stand on that?" Goniff asked, seemingly too weary to even move. Actor knew he COULDN'T move; he was too crammed in there, Garrison on top of him, and possibly couldn't have moved anyway with the battering he had to have taken. Casino frowned, looking at their positions, at the framework of the truck.

"You ride the whole way like that? Man, can you even move??"

"Don't know yet, Casino. 'Elp get the Warden out, then I'll see. Blimy, puts me in mind of that time . . ." and he was off on some totally irrelevant, inconsequential story that distracted everyone, well, almost everyone, from the slight frown and mutter of discontent from a half-awake Garrison as he was moved away from those sheltering arms. 

Goniff's voice was his usual self again, brisk and cheery, that comforting Mother Hen to the fullest, but now the one they all knew so well, not the fond lover Actor had caught a glimpse of.

"Don't you worry one bit, Warden; 'ave you all right and tight afore you know it. Casino 'ere, 'e's gonna shift you now; Chiefy'll 'elp so just lay still and let 'em do what they need to do," and Garrison blinked rapidly, coming full awake, taking in that not-so-subtle message that they weren't alone, to be careful.

Actor thought ruefully that as far as those two had concerned, they had been alone on that trip; his presence had been totally forgotten, and he had to admit, that was probably for the best. Neither would have been able to receive or give that oh-so-needed comfort if they had remembered.

Goniff suddenly jerked his head in Actor's direction, eyes wary, on guard; the con man made sure to make this his very best performance, that totally-oblivious-to-reality look, concerned only with getting another look at the injured Garrison. 

"You're gonna need help getting out of there too, the way you're jammed in," Chief commented, offering a hand to the Englishman, getting a wry smile in return.

"Maybe more than a little, never thought I'd feel sorry for a sardine before," Goniff admitted.

"Well, come along then. The sooner we're back the sooner Meghada can start rubbing you down with that comfrey creme she makes; she'll have you back to new before you know it. I wouldn't mind asking her if she has any extra; I'm not sure how I managed it, but I dozed off and on, kept losing my grip and have a few bruises of my own. I think it was the noise of that abominable engine; just drowned everything else out, you know, rather put you in a trance."

Goniff seemed to relax slightly, though there was still a cautious air about him. Actor stretched, wincing, watching the small man slowly unwind from his torturous position, groaning as he did so.

"I figure you should be able ta get an extra meal or two, maybe an extra morning of sleeping late out of this, anyhow, your letting the Lieutenant use you as a mattress like that," Casino ribbed his best friend, not noting the slight flush that came to those normally pale cheeks.

"Damned lumpy mattress, if you ask me, Casino," Chief joined in with the good-natured teasing, "all bones. Probly only worth one extra meal, not two."

"Yeah, well, see if I volunteer next time around; don't look as 'ow I'd be getting any gratitude from either of you two!" Goniff waded right in, sniping right back at them, grateful for the distraction. Of course, they all knew if any of the team needed him to, he'd do the same, without a second thought; that was just Goniff. Still, Actor knew, it wouldn't be quite the same, and couldn't refrain from the smile that crossed his lips.

"And just what's so funny, Beautiful? By the way, didn't see you jammed up in the corner taking a turn, now did we?"

Actor drew himself up to his tallest, "it is hardly my fault that my stature is such I wouldn't fit into such a small spot, Casino. As they say, the spirit was willing but . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Come on, there's the boat! Let's get the hell outta here! Maybe next time I say we need ta haul ass outta someplace, somebody will listen!"

"Yeah, like THAT'S gonna 'appen! You know the Warden, if 'e says 'e's gonna do somethin . . ."

In the coming days he watched, perplexed. Watched as Garrison yelled and stormed at a not-quite-repentent Goniff handing back that gold-rimmed snuff-box along with the other little souvenirs they'd collected from Count Vendenberg's estate. Garrison's response to their nonsense was as it always had been; Goniff's pout and look of disappointment no different than always. Even that wink and little sly glance at the others, that only denoted his knowledge that the OTHER little goodies hadn't been discovered, were still safe and ready to be turned into their own version of a retirement plan. He watched as Garrison chivied them all over the obstacle course, yelling at Goniff to 'get the lead out, Goniff!; if anyone was chasing you, you'd be BEHIND them by now!" He listened as Goniff groused about Garrison being mean, not letting them have an outing at the pub, Garrison snapping back that when they'd EARNED an outing, then they'd get one. And he wondered if he'd been mistaken, read too much into that one incident.

Til he thought back to that night, walking through the door to Garrison's bedroom to take his turn sitting by Goniff's bedside after that incident with the mercenaries. Goniff was asleep, well, more like knocked out from that last shot RJ Riley had given him, Garrison just sitting there, watching, guarding. There had been something, the way Garrison's hand rested so carefully on Goniff's arm, some quiet tenderness in the Lieutenant's face, that had seemed perhaps not out of place since Garrison had always shown a genuine concern for his men, but the start and flush that overcame Garrison when he realized they were not alone, that was out of place. And he remembered that night when he'd driven Garrison to the Cottage, when that wisp of a thought, not realized, but just a hint, something about Goniff always being the one Garrison looked for after his nightmares, something about that being as unusual as Goniff and his unlikely relationship with Meghada. That faint teasing at his mind, about a certain similarity there. And he knew then, that he'd not been mistaken. He might find it all just as confusing as he had during that first revelation, but he knew he'd not been mistaken.

Sometime later, he, almost casually, though certainly in private, let Garrison know that he knew.

"Is it not difficult, Craig?  Keeping things in their separate categories, I mean.  Goniff, our pickpocket. Goniff, the mischief maker.  Goniff, in any number of his guises, that you have to keep after to keep in line, to keep out of trouble, to keep on track. And then, Goniff . . ."

Garrison flushed a little at the blunt question from his second in command.  "I was afraid it would be, but it seems natural somehow.  Perhaps not a lot different from how we all interact together at the Pub versus how we interact across the Channel on a mission."

That got him a look of disgusted reproof from the tall Italian, to which he grinned sheepishly, replied with wry admission, "yeah, alright, a bad example, I'll admit.  But a hell of a lot better than the one I was going to give, that it's the same as what we do when we're being a German officer or an Italian industrialist. Because, that's acting, running a con, and this, it's not.  Both are the real us, just who we have to be, need to be then, versus who we CAN be, have the freedom to be when we're at the Cottage.  Still, there's the danger inherent in forgetting just who you are supposed to be, allowed to be at any particular time, and I think the survival instinct kicks in then. Sometimes, even in the more benign surroundings it can take some effort.  I messed up a time or two, showed up at the Cottage, had my mind on something else, sent the wrong signals. Meghada finally set me straight and it's easier now.  I'm coming on business, my hat goes on the hat rack; I'm NOT coming on business, I drop it in the basket by the door.  Except for a couple of times where I forgot, it works.  She says not having to verbalize things sometimes is easier."  

Actor shook his head, "and that's something else I have a hard time seeing, understanding, that she doesn't mind, doesn't feel her relationship with Goniff is being threatened."

Garrison lost his smile, swallowed heavily, "I don't understand that either, am just damn grateful.  A pissed off Dragon?  I'm not sure I'd survive.  But it isn't just that she 'doesn't mind', Actor.  It's like she's glad for him, for us.  I know her people think about things differently where love is concerned; we've seen that.  I never figured I'd understand it, never thought I'd need to, but now - it's like she cares for him so much that as long as she thinks I'm good for him, that we're good for each other, that I make him happy, she's happy too."

He shook his head, still bewildered as he was every time he seriously thought about it.  "I don't think I could be that generous," he admitted.  

Actor raised his brows, "but you are, surely; you accept he is still with her, you haven't tried to come between them." 

Garrison looked at the tall Italian with a wry smile, "first, I don't think I could.  Oh, I could try, could certainly manage to make all three of us massively uncomfortable, unhappy; there's no question about that.  She might even step aside in my favor if she thought that was necessary for his well-being.  But, Actor, she's letting us share her world, a world where we can be ourselves, remove all the masks.  Her family does the same, and we both know we aren't going to run into that casual acceptance very often. And, something else; she has the freedom to be there for him, when I can't."

He gave a harsh little laugh, "I knew he wore masks, though I never had any idea how many til he started shedding one or two here, a lot more with her.  I accepted that, even if he surprised the hell out of me sometimes.   I'd just never admitted how many masks I wore too. Hell, didn't even KNOW how many I wore! There, with her, with him, sometimes it's like I've only allowed just a small part of Craig Garrison to exist - the one with no surprises inside - the by-the-book conformist, the good student, the officer. I find myself listening to music I never thought I'd like, reading books I'd never even considered reading, discussing things so far away from what I once thought were worth talking about, so much more. Sometimes I'm shocked at just how much more there is to 'me' than I ever dreamed was there. Just like there is to Goniff, in a lot of respects. It's like the Cottage opens all the doors inside of us, if that makes any sense."  He shook his head again, and the two friends sat together in silence, til Actor resumed the conversation.   "Well, HQ has always been filled with rumors about us, about the team, and we've managed.  Hopefully if there's ever any hint of this, it will just filter in among all the other rumors and be just one of the many, nothing to draw anyone's special attention.  Here, well, I am sure Chief knows, though I don't believe Casino does. Anyone else?"

"AJ and Sheila Riley, of course, but then they're part of the Friends and Family too. Gil knows I spend time at the Cottage; just what he believes or knows, I don't really know, but I'm careful there too, just in case, about how much I say or show. He doesn't seem too perturbed at the idea that both Goniff and I visit there, often at the same time, and he never shows Meghada anything but respect - slightly wary respect, I'll admit, but that only shows he's an intelligent man," and they shared a quiet laugh.  Yeah, smart people tended to treat Meghada with slightly wary respect.

They finished their whiskey and turned the conversation to the last debriefing they'd undergone, headed by Major Kingston for some reason neither of them could figure out. The American officer seemed to have some sort of fixation about them.

Yeah, Chief knew; he'd always been the one to see things others couldn't. He'd asked Goniff, "aint it hard?  I mean, he's the Warden, the one with all the big plans, "let's blow this up, let's just trot over there and steal those plans, hey, since we're here, how about grabbing that General or that load of counterfeit money."  We're out there, we tend to business, we follow his orders or we get killed more'n likely.  There's stuff we do he don't know about, and we all know it's better that way, but we don't forget who's in charge.  He yells at us, pushes us, keeps us on our toes.  Never seen either of you let it spill, no sign, nothin anyone else would be likely to see and pick up on. How do ya deal with keepin it all straight, well, I mean . . ."

Goniff had given him an understanding look, "yeah, I get it, Chiefy.  Thought it'd be a problem, at first, but somehow, it just falls into place. 'E's the Warden, cept when 'e's just Craig, and it just seems natural.  I'm careful, don't step foot in 'is room 'ere without reason, try an make sure to call 'im 'Warden' or 'Lieutenant', cept at the Cottage, and even there, well. . . Down at the Cottage, Meghada even rigged up sorta a code.  Ya know, sometimes down there even, 'e's on business, a job, something to do with the big-wigs or the team, so we got our wires crossed a time or two.  Now, 'e tips 'is 'at on the rack, it means one thing; 'e drops it in the basket by the door, that means something else, tells us just who's come in the door, the Warden or Craig."

Chief gave him an odd frown, like that was all a bit much.

Goniff just shrugged, "sounds dumb, maybe, but it works.  No one 'as to say anything; now that would sound pure foolish, wouldn't it?  Coo, there's complications enough other than that!"

Chief nodded, "yeah, I'd think so.  The Brass ever get wise, it'll hit the fan for sure.  Still waitin for Casino to open his eyes, but it took him twice as long to figure out bout you and Meghada, guess it makes sense he hasn't figured this out either."

A voice from the doorway, "who hasn't figured what out?" as the safe cracker moved into the room, taking a huge bite out of a dripping pear as he came.

"Where'd ya get that?" Goniff jumped up from his seat at the round table, exclaimed eagerly, partly out of a strong desire to sidestep that question and also, well, hey, it was food wasn't it??

"Howie brought up a basket; says Mrs. Wilson's trees are getting too loaded, branches starting to split, and it's more than she can put up, so she wanted to share in return for us doing some cleanup round her place.  A little grainy, but still good," he admitted.

"So, who hasn't figured out what?"

Chief stepped in quickly, "Actor hasn't figured out that latest little surprise you guys set up for him; thought you were gonna spring it on him by now?"

Casino laughed, "yeah, well, was gonna, but then he made that trip to London with the Warden, and Josie got pissed about being all ready and then him being a no show after all, so we're gonna wait for awhile til she's in the mood for some hijinks again."

Casino was concentrating on the last bite of pear and didn't see the quick look of gratitude Goniff shot over at Chief.   As they'd agreed, things were already complicated enough - giving Casino a heart attack wouldn't help matters one little bit.


End file.
